The gameplay of the Homeworld series is now cemented as revolutionary. Games in the future will either draw upon this series as influence, or out and out steal its ideas. Homeworld and its sequel, Cataclysm, have done more for RTS than all others save perhaps Herzog Zwei and the PC Classic "Dune 2000."

Outstanding visuals, an ominous orchestral score, a well-scripted story with real plot twists, excellent voice acting and a host of brand new ships and weapons, Cataclysm is a sequel to Homeworld as much as "Aliens" was a sequel to "Alien." Its better, has more action, and plays longer.

This sequel contains enhancements and expanded gameplay by providing new gameplay aspects such as waypoints and sensor screen attack commands, new types of ships capable of upgrades with advanced technologies and weapons, fog-of-war, damage control, research and mothership modules.

The shocking truth that so many people would never really want to consider here, is that Cataclysm is not only a fantastic sequel, but handsThe shocking truth that so many people would never really want to consider here, is that Cataclysm is not only a fantastic sequel, but hands down- the best game in the series. What we can immediately pull away from the amazing presentation is the knowledge that a very intelligent developer named "Barking Dog Studios" saw the potential for the series and worked very hard to make it a better experience all around. If anyone hasn't played Homeworld in a while, you'll remember that it had a fantastically executed story held back just a smidge by occasionally buggy fleet A.I., a killer difficulty curve after the 3rd mission, an almost unfair amount of frustration at times, and of course some cumbersome interface quirks. This has really all been cleared up by Barking Dog, since not only have they patched and filled some of the irksome frustrations of the interface, but they've completely cleaned up the issue with unit balance as well. Incorporating a unit cap was an incredibly good idea, it adds quite a bit more strategy in when you choose to build your units. Though this was frowned upon as an overall game-changing mechanic, I thought it made unit preservation that much more important. And with how much faster paced Cataclysm is compared to its predecessor- it makes a good deal of sense to implement that feature. Without getting too much into the story, the actual flow of combat is what really drove me to enjoy this game over and over again. The back and forth of the main factions in game are nothing short of nerve-racking. Slowly preparing a fleet to do battle with a foe that can reverse your technology and assimilates your ships is terrifying and incredibly interesting. Working out the balance of your fleet, researching new ways to counter your borg-like foe are all part of the campaign as well as the skirmish modes. To mention briefly the sound design is nothing short of brilliant, its much more engaging than the original game, though some of the voice work does sound a little goofy initially, overall its very well implemented as well. The atmospheric soundtrack is back, and though it doesn't feature anything that standouts as well as the first game, it is still very good. The games engine itself was starting to see some gray hairs unfortunately, so of course it was polished as well as it could be for 2000. Between the much more involved story line, the pacing of various space battle, the more efficient research and harvesting system- the game easily outdoes 1999's origin tale. If not by design alone, it certainly features a much more engaging plot that really goes all out in conveying the urgency of stopping your mistake that was born from foolish ignorance. If you have always wondered what the best "sequel" was, this is it, this is the actual "Homeworld 2" and their is really nothing like it inside the real time strategy genre.…Expand

Actually a very enjoyable sub-sequel (it was originally meant to be an addon, but ended up being released as a stand-alone game) to theActually a very enjoyable sub-sequel (it was originally meant to be an addon, but ended up being released as a stand-alone game) to the original, with huge amounts of atmosphere and many of the little annoyances of the original ironed out (combat commands from map screen implimented, auto-harvesting resources at end of missions instead of waiting for hours, etc). Very worth aquiring this one for any RTS collection.…Expand

Cataclysm is a game that does an acceptable job of attempting to live up to the greatness of its predecessor. The strategy, tactics, andCataclysm is a game that does an acceptable job of attempting to live up to the greatness of its predecessor. The strategy, tactics, and gameplay HW 1 fans know and love is all here. However, everything isn't all honky dory with this package. While the core gameplay, story telling and atmosphere are all top notch, there are several issues that detract from the overall experience. The most notable being the implementation of a Support Unit system, or rather, HOW it was implemented. The Dev's wanted to convey to the player that your Kiith (clan) is weak, and it's reflected in how inferior your combat units are at the beginning of the game. I have no problem with this; What I take issue with is the ridiculous population cap that is thrusted upon you. Within the first 10 missions, your fleet will be severely limited in size (for example: 24 fighters, 1 processor, 4 workers, 1 MCV, a ramming frigate and two hive frigates). In Homeworld 1, you would have a larger fleet by mission 4, let alone mission ten. Another annoyance with the SU system is the inability to capture ships if you're near the SU limit. I can understand this too; however, when it prevents you from fulfill objections and leads to a frantic scrapping of ships, it's becomes problematic. Another issue is the obscene amount of resources you get; you can never truly use them due to the population cap. It should be noted that these issues can be solved with a Trainer. However, i must judge the game solely on what is in the game; not can be added to edit it. If i did include the Trainer, this game would have an 8. As it is, it's a good game. Not as good as the original homeworld, but an adequate successor nonetheless.…Expand